Railway vehicle underframe



C. F. FREDE ET AL RAILWAY VEHICLE UNDERFRAME June 16, 1931.

Filed oct. 20. 195o I .2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Y des' June 16, w31 c. F. FREDEET AL.

RAILWAY VEHICLE UNDERFRAME Filed Oct. 20, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 PatentedJune 16, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CHARLES F. FREDE, OF ST.LOUIS, MISSOURI, AND EINAR G. HALLQUIST, OF EDWARDS- VILLE, ILLINOIS,ASSIGNORS T0 GENERAL STEEL CASTINGS CORPORATION, OF GRANITE CITY,ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE RAILWAY VEHICLE UNDERERAMEApplication lled October 20, 1930. Serial No. 490,026.

Our invention relates to' railway rolling stock and consists in a novelunderframe structure particularly adapted for flat bottom freight cars.

The main object of our invention is to provide an economical, strongunderframe and preferably one which can be formed in, a single castingwhich will eliminate a substantial amount of time and labor involved infinishing and assembling separately formed units and which will be lfreefrom the deteriorating tendencies of built-up structures, duetoloosening of bolted or riveted joints, corrosion, etc.

Another object of our invention is to simplify the construction byutilizing a single center'sill between the bolsters in combination withspaced draft sills between the bolsters and end sills. This constructioncan be effected very advantageously by means of a cast underframewithout sacrificing any strength or rigidity at the bolster.

While it would be possible to construct an underframe comprising asingle structural steel center sill between the bolsters, and spacedstructural steel dra-ft sills between the bolsters and the end sills,this construction would require a specially constructed member betweenthe adjacent ends of the center sill and the draft sills, to which thesills must be riveted or welded. This member would necessarily beconstructed with riveting flanges of comparatively large areas toprovide the necessary num r of rivets to take care of the pulling andbufting forces, and it can readily be seen that such a constructionwould not be as desirable on a built-up structure as one with the centersills and draft sills formed of continuous structural members.

Since on a one piece cast structure all rivets and riveting flanges canbe eliminated, it is a much simpler construction to provide a singlecenter sill between the holsters, and spaced draft sills between thebolsters and the ends of the car. This can be done without decreasingthe strength or increasing the weight of the underframe. Where thecenter sill of a freight car underframe is of the I beam fish belly typeto carry vertical loads and also the pulling and buffing forces, it

weighs less than the construction provided with spaced I beam centersills having the same strength.

In a single sill construction, the pattern work is simplified and alsothe molding operation because all of the cores between the spacedsillsand the work of placing these cores in the mold can be eliminated.This results in a structure which can be made more quickly and with lessexpense.

Another object of our invention is to utilize Z-shaped side sills withtheir upper flanges projecting outwardly and enlarged at intervals toextend around a stake or post and to form a reinforcement for stakepocket walls formed integrally with the web of the sill. This providesfor greater road clearances at the lower portion of the side sill whileat the same time providing for a maximum width of car at top of sidesill.

Reference is made to copending application filed by Charles F. Frede,March 29, 1929, Serial No. 350,850, which has some features in commonwith the construction described below. The use of a single center sillin the present structure instead of the spaced sills in the applicationreferred to eliminates the members of the cross transoms between thecenter sills and greatly simplifies the pattern work and facilitates themolding operation.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate a selected embodiment ofour invention Figure 1 is a top view of approximately one-half of a carunderframe.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same.

Figure 3 is an end view of the same.

Figures 4, 5 and 6 are vertical transverse sections taken on thecorresponding section lines of Figure 1.

Figure 7 is a vertical transverse section taken on the correspondingsection line of Figure 1.

The underframe has a continuous member for transferring longitudinalforces and carrying a substantial portion of the ear load. This memberconstitutes an I shaped center sill 1, extending between the holsters 2,and spaced channel-shaped draft sills 3 extending between the bolstersand the end sills 4.

The bolsters have spaced webs 5 extending throughout the intermediateportion of the bolster and merging into single webs 6 exteidingoutwardly to the Z shaped side sills The vertical webs of the channeldraft sills extend through the bolster to the rear web 5 and formtransverse reinforcing elements of the bolster adjacent to the centerplate 8.

Diagonal struts 10 form corner braces .for the draft sills, bolster, endsill' and side sllls.

' The center sill and side sills are of fish belly type between thebolsters and formed integrally with the side sills are relativelyshallow vertical walls 11 forming pockets for stakes S. The upper flange12 of each Z bar side sill has portions 13 extending outwardly aroundthe pocket openings and reinforcingv the same whereby a pocket isprovided extending through the upper flange without weakening the sill.The lower portions of the pocket Walls are further reinforced by meansof iianges 14.

Transversetransoms 15 and 22, preferably of I shaped section, extendfrom side sill to side sill with their webs merging with the verticalwebs of these sills and with their upper flan es flush with and mergingwith the upper gauges of the center and side sills. These transoms areof different depths but all are shallower than the sills and their lowerflanges merge with the vertical webs of the center and side sills abovethe level of the lower flanges on the latter. The lower flanges of eachof the deeper transoms 22 form a U shape section 24 at theirintermediate portion and openings 23 are provided in the sill andtransom webs adjacent to the intersection of the portions 24 and thesill web.

This transom arrangement provides ilexibility in the underframe'whichwill enable it to accommodate distortion of the center sill and transomsdue to the weaving of the underframe when the car is loaded and runningover uneven track. "At the same time there is no sacrifice of neededstrength. Also when the frame is cast the arrangement describedwillenable the metal to shrink in cooling without setting up as manystrains as would result if the lower flanges of the sills and transomsmerged with each other.

si has an integral draw bar carrier 20 and al (lnracket 21 for mountingthe air brake cy in- Obviously, many features of the invention may be-retained -without duplicatin the structure illustrated, for instancethe side sill need not be of Z section necessarily, and various otherdetails of the described structure may be modied without departing fromthe spirit of our invention and we contemplate the exclusive use of suchmodified structures as come within the scope of our claims.

We claim:

1. A railway vehicle inte ral underframe including side sills, a pair ofolsters, a single center sill between said bolsters, and transomsconnecting said sills intermediate said bolsters, all of said membershaving upper flanges in substantially the same plane for carrying afloor.

2. In a railway vehicle underframe, spaced bolsters, end sills, spaceddraft sills between said bolsters and end sills, and a single centersill between said bolsters, diagonal struts from the ends of said endsills to the middle of the bolster, all of said parts forming anintegral structure and having upper flanges in substantially the samehorizontal plane.

3. In a railway vehicle underframe, spaced bolsters, a single I beamcenter sill and Z bar side sills between said bolsters, all of saidparts forming an integral structure and having substantially flush topflanges for carrying a floor.

4. In a railway vehicle underframe, spaced bolsters, end sills, spacedchannel-shaped sills between said bolsters and end sills and includingelements for mounting a draft gear, a single center sill between saidbolsters, and Z bar side sills united with said bolsters and end sills,all of said parts forming an integral structure.

5. In a railway vehicle underframe, spaced bolsters,'end sills, spacedchannel-shaped sills between said bolsters and end sills and includingelements for mounting a draft gear, transverse transoms intermediatesaid bolsters, Z bar side sills united with said bolsters, end sills andtransoms, all of said parts forming an integral structure and havingsubstantially flush upper'langes for mounting a floor.

6. In a railway vehicle underframe, spaced bolsters, a single I beamcenter sill and Z bar side sills extending between said bolsters.

one of the transoms 15 includes an integr transverse transomsintermediate said bol-'V sters, and connecting said sills, all of saidparts forming an integral structure and having substantially Hush topflanges fork carrying a floor.

' 7. In a railway vehicle underframe, bolsters, end sills and spaceddraft sills between said bolsters and end sills, said draft sills beingarranged to accommodate draft gear elements between them and havingdraft lugs thereon, and a single center sill between said holsters. allof said parts forming an integral structure and having upper flanges insuhstantially the same horizontalplane.

8. In a railway vehicle underframe, bolsters, the intermediate portionsof said bolsters having two spaced vertical webs and the end portions ofsaid holsters having a single vertical web extending lengthwise of saidbolsters, and spaced draft sills between said holsters and the end ofsaid underframe, said draft sills having vertical webs extending throughsaid holsters to the inner vertical webs of said intermediate portionsof said bolsters and a single center sill between said holsters, all ofsaid parts forming an integral `structure.

9. In a railway vehicle underframe, a single center sill, a bolster, theintermediate portion of said bolster having spaced vertical websextending lengthwise of said bolster, and a pair of spaced draft sillsextending outwardly from said bolster, each of said draft sills having avertical web extending through said bolster to the inner vertical web ofsaid bolster, said center sill having a vertical web extending inwardlyfrom the inner vertical wall of said bolster fr om a point intermediatethe vertical Webs of said draft sills, all of said parts forming anintegral structure.

10. In a railway vehicle underframe, holsters, said holsters having topand bottom flanges, the intermediate portions of said holsters havingspaced vertical webs between said flanges extending lengthwise of saidbolsters, the end portions of said holsters having a. single verticalweb between said flanges extending lengthwise of said holsters, a singlecenter sill between said holsters having an I cross section, and spacedchannel-shaped draft sills merging with said holsters, all of said partsforming an integral structure.

11. In a railway vehicle underframe, bolsters, end sills, cross transomsintermediate saidl holsters, side sills, a single fish belly center sillbetween said holsters and spaced draft sills between said holsters andend sills, all of said parts forming an integral structure and havingsubstantially flush upper surfaces for carrying a floor.

12. In a railway vehicle underframe, bolsters, end sills, a singlecenter sill between said holsters, spaced draft sills between saidholsters and end sills and the upper legs of said Z shaped side sillsextending outwardly, all of said parts forming an integral structure.

13. In a railway vehicle underframe, bolsters, end sills, a single fishbelly center sill between said holsters, spaced draft sills between saidholsters and end sills, and fish belly Z shaped side sills, all of saidparts forming an integral structure.

14. In a railway vehicle underframe, bolsters, a single center sill of Icross section between said holsters, flanged side sills, a trans- Zshaped side sills,

verse member extending between said side sills and connected to saidcenter sill and having top and bottom flanges, the top flange of saidtransverse member being aligned with the top flanges of said sills, andthe bottom 4 flange of said transverse member being connected to thevertical webs of said 'sills at points spaced above the bottom flangesof said lsills, all of said part-s forming an integral ton flange ofsaid cross member having a U n shaped section at its connection with thevertical weh of said center sill, said center sill vertical web beingopen at the sides and above said U section, all of said parts forming anintegral structure.

16. In a railway vehicle underframe, bolsters, a Z shaped side sillbetwen said bolsters having its upper flange extending outwardly, andelements on said side sill forming a stake pocket spaced from thevertical web of said sidesill and projecting outwardly from the outeredge of said upper flange, all of said parts forming an integralstructure.

17. In a railway vehicle underframe, a Z shaped side sill having itsupper flange extending outwardly of the underframe, and elements on saidside sill forming aseries of stake pockets spaced from the vertical webof said side sill, the upper flange of said side sill extending aroundthe upper portion of said stake pockets, all ofsaid parts forming anintegral structure.

18. A railway vehicle side sill of Z shaped cross section having stakepocket walls formed integrally with its web, the upper flange of saidsill extending around the pocket opening and reinforcing said walls.

19. In a railway vehicle underframe, holsters, a single center sill of Icross section between said holsters, flanged side sills, a

transverse member extending between said,

side sills and connected to said center sill and having top and bottomflanges, the top flange of said transverse member being aligned with thetop flanges of said sills, and the bottom flange of said transversemember being connected to the vertical web of said center sill at apoint spaced above the bottom flanges of said center sill, all of saidparts forming an integral structure.

20. In a railway vehicle underframe, bolsters, a single center sillbetween saidbolsters having an I cross section, flanged side sills, a

transverse member extendin between said side sills and connected to saicenter sill and having top and bottom ianges2 the top flange of saidcross member being aligned with the 5 top iange of said sills, and thebottom ilange of said cross member being connected to the vertical Websof said center sill at a point spaced above the bottom ange of saidcenter sill, said bottom vflange ofsaid cross member having a U shapedsection at its connection with the Vertical web of said center sill,said center sill vertical web being open at the sides and above said Usection, all of said parts forming an integral structure. In testimonywhereof we hereunto affix our signatures this 7th day of October, 1930.

CHARLES F. FREDE. EIN AR G. HALLQUIST.

